Aniki
by Roe Dusk
Summary: Shinjiro gets adopted in his Sopomore year. After he left SEES, but Pre-Game. Major OC warning, in his new younger sister and her dog. Not sure where it came from or if I'll continue it, but feel free to read. Not a Romance!
1. When I'm scared, I tend to talk alot

No clue where this came from, I found these 4 chapters saved on my computer, and I sort of like the idea (must be why I wrote it in the first place). Not sure if I'll get back to it, since I don't quite know where I was going with it. But if I get inspiration, or someone asks me to, I will try to keep writing.

This is not a Romance!!! I know that much, it's a family fic, you'll understand why next chapter.

There is definitely a major OC, so don't read if you don't like, that and if you don't like major story alterations, you probably shouldn't either, (tho this isn't really altering the game plot much, just that Shinjiro shouldn't die, as far as I know).

* * *

**When I'm scared, I tend to talk alot.**

* * *

The moon turned suddenly green, and the sophomore sighed, not even glancing around at sudden change of all the people in that sleazy part of town turning into coffins as the walls began to ooze blood.

"At least it's finally quiet," he muttered to himself, pondering just up and leaving while it was quiet.

Then he heard the scream. Oddly, it wasn't the normal wordless cry of terror. Instead, someone clearly cried, "Can anyone hear me?!"

He heard distant feet on tar and cursed himself for being to soft as he rand off in the direction of the scream. As he neared the feet, he heard a young woman talking to herself out loud. "Of course not they're all coffins. What am I supposed to do?!"

Then there was a thud.

He winced in sympathy and was forced to stop at a 12 foot tall fence, cursing he turned to go around.

* * *

The girl scrambled to her feet and ran down a side street, a dark blob a few hundred feet behind her.

She realized to late it was a dead end and turned to face her pursuer, not between her and the only way out. It slowed as it realized she couldn't escape, and she laughed nervously.

"That was smart, trip while running for your life, huh." She smiled shakily, "I'm really going to die then, aren't I?"

The shadow lunged at her and she closed her eyes.

* * *

Shinjiro managed to get back around and hurried towards the sound of the shadow, worried that the feet had stopped.

Then he heard her explain the thud and raced around the corner, just as the shadow charged the high school student standing there. Without time to consider the consequences, he whipped out his evoker and released his Persona, "Castor!" She looked up in surprise in time to see the mounted knight crash into her attacker, ripping it into a thousand pieces. She was shocked, and horrified as it turned to her.

Shinjiro felt Castor breaking away from his hold and tried to force him down in terror. Castor wasn't having any of that, and charged…

"Did you say Castor?" The girl stammered, scrambling into the corner.

Shinjiro blinked at her in surprise, and Castor backed up, before dissipating. "Uh, yea," Shinjiro replied awkwardly as she blinked and stood up.

"Thank you," She said quickly, "You saved me, right?"

"Yea…" Shinjiro replied, "Are you really that calm all the time?"

She blinked, then laughed nervously, bordering on tired hysteria. "No," she told him when she straightened, "I'm scared out of my wits right now. But when I'm scared I tend to talk a lot. It's a sort of defense mechanism."

"How does that defend you?" Shinjiro asked incredulously, unaware that he had talked more with this girl than anyone he'd met since he left school.

"When I'm scared, it's almost always because I have to talk to somebody human," she said bluntly, "If I can talk instead of freezing up, they don't think I'm shy, and leave me alone." She smiled slightly, shaking, "I guess it doesn't help much when I'm being attacked for real." She walked over to him, and looked at him for a moment before she glanced away, "I'm an idiot aren't I, thinking I'd want to be in any story but real life. It's certainly exciting, but I'm not going to survive this." She smiled weakly at him, "I always knew I'd be useless in any of my favorite stories. But it's more fun to read manga than to live in real life, isn't it."

"You're scared," Shinjiro stated, somewhat bemused by the strangely coherent chatter.

"Terrified," she said with a nod, "What's going on?"

Shinjiro stared at her, a high school girl who could think… He thought Mitsuru was the only one, and she'd been trained to do that. "Well…" he said glancing around, "There is an hour between midnight and 12:01 that most people turn to coffins for. Many of those things that attacked you are out then, and they eat anyone who is out of a coffin that they can get their hands… um… whatever on. The result of that is Apathy Syndrome."

She sat down hard, landing in a puddle of blood. He looked at her, and saw she was shivering but nodding slowly, "So, I don't get mangled, even if it rips me to shreds, I just loose my mind completely." She laughed again, "It's silly, but I can't seem to think of anything worse than that."

He nodded shortly, "You won't remember this after you return to the real world, and next time this happens, you will probably just turn into a coffin, if you haven't been experiencing this until now."

She looked at him sharply, "I've been asleep for two hours by now. How would I know?"

She looked away as he digested that there were actually high school students who slept.

"Does this wash out?" She asked suddenly, startling him.

He looked over to se her standing, holding the dripping end of her sweatshirt, her pants were also soaked. "It's part of the dark hour. It won't even have happened when this ends."

She blinked, then smiled, "Oh, good."

He turned and started away.

"Hey wait!" She started after him.

"The dark hour is almost over, you should go home before you wake up and don't know how you got here," Shinjiro told her shortly. She stopped and he kept walking.

"Well, thank you, and thank Castor for me."

He stopped and turned to her, the moon turned blue, and the sounds of life started up again.

"What's your name sempai?" she asked him from where she stood against the alleyway.

"Shinjiro Aragaki," he replied, then realized the change in lights. Glancing around in shock, he verified, that the dark hour was over.

"See you at school," her cheery voice called out to him, and he spun around, she remembered?! But she had disappeared past him into the crowd.


	2. Fear and Ramen

I think I was trying to come up with a reasonable response to the Dark Hour, without having the character end up useless.

* * *

**Fear and Ramen**

* * *

The next night she spent hidden in her basement with the coffin of her dog. The only was in was a door up the short flight of stairs, but she couldn't be sure shadows couldn't just slip in through the wall.

Then again, she couldn't be sure they couldn't just smell her out either.

When the lights turned on again, she swore that was going to be the last time she worried like that.

* * *

He was sitting at the Hakagure shop with a bowl or ramen when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Sempai!"

Turning he saw the girl he'd saved two nights before.

"I didn't know you ate here!" she told him, sitting next to him, all smiles.

He just stared.

She wilted a little but continued, "I'm sorry, but I have a question."

"Mmm," he muttered and turned back to his food.

She ordered, and turned back to him. "I've found out that I experience the Dark Hour every night, and those dreams I've had of the moon turning green was probably that too."

"And how long would that make it?" He asked gruffly.

"At least 3 years," she murmured.

He blinked, and she was still alive?

"I was wondering how I hadn't been eaten yet, since I was too scared to sleep last night, and I can't really not sleep and expect to function," she told him honestly. The server brought her food and she thanked him, before turning back to Shinjiro.

He had been looking at her strangely, and looked away, "As far as I know, you would be dead by now." She shivered.

"Did you ever get saved by anything like Castor before?" He asked her, but she shook her head. No Persona, huh, that was odd.

"Can I ask so sit with you through the hour tonight?" She asked him suddenly and he choked.

"You can't come to that part of town!"

She sighed, "Ok, but you're being a hypocrite. I suppose you can probably actually defend yourself tho."

He nodded seriously, "You'd be in more danger there than during the dark hour." He looked into his bowl thoughtfully, "How did you know to run from the shadow?"

"Huh?" She looked at him in surprise.

"I mean, they don't usually walk around the town, so, how were you awake to run away?"

"Hmm, I couldn't sleep," she told him, "And when I saw it, ripping something to shreds, I ran instead of lock myself in the house because… I didn't know If it would keep it out, and I didn't want to be trapped inside."

He nodded, "Then you know where to find me if you can't sleep again during the dark hour. But only come then."

She smiled so thankfully he was embarrassed.

They ate in silence for a while, then she asked, quietly, "What grade is sempai in?"

"Sophomore," he told her.

She nodded, "And do you go to Gekkoukan?"

"Yea… why?"

"Just curious," she told him, "Sorry if I sounded like a stalker, but I go there to. I'm a freshman tho." She stared ahead thoughtfully for a while, then blinked, and turned to him with a smile, "Maybe I'll see sempai around then."

He started as she drained the ramen broth out of her bowl and wiped her mouth. "Thank you, sempai," she said one last time before she put the bowl in the plate return and walked out of the shop.

He stared after her for a few seconds before shaking his head and returning to his ramen.


	3. Legal Papers

I have no clue where he would be living, or if there is even a motel in town, but he had to live somewhere, and I have no better ideas.

And yes, there are actually people that crazy, and I'm assuming you can still be legally adopted till you're 18 in this world, where everything suits writer convenience anyway.

* * *

**Legal Papers**

* * *

There were no further incidents for a month, and Shinjiro thought that maybe he should go to school and check on the younger girl.

Then he realized what that sounded like and mentally smashed his head.

He didn't feel that way about her, she… she was like Miki. But Akihiko wasn't here to help him protect her, and he wouldn't fail this time. Now I've gone soft, dwelling on the past like that, he accused himself, but the conviction stayed with him.

It was not enough, however, to get him to go to school.

Then, one day, at noon of all times, she walked up to him where he sat on the steps at the corner.

"What are you doing here?!" he asked angrily, "You're going to get hurt!"

She nodded quietly, "But this is important. I need to give it to you directly."

He looked down to see her holding an official looking document. Was he in trouble? But, why would she have that note? No one even knows she knows him.

At least it didn't look like a love letter.

He pulled it out of her hands gently, but she stopped him before he could read it.

"I think we should go somewhere more private," she murmured uncomfortably.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but agreed.

* * *

They ended up seated on a bench at the Naganaki Shrine, and he pulled out the document and glanced it over.

Then nearly fell off the bench.

He stared at the paper, "This is…"

"Adoption papers," she whispered, nodding.

He could only stare.

"I wrote my parents about you saving me," she murmured, "None of the specifics, but I told them I was attacked and chased into the bad part of town where you saved me. And that I know I would have died if you hadn't been there." She swallowed, "My mother wrote back that they wanted to do something for you, in thanks, even if they couldn't come back from overseas to express it to you personally, so I told them your name and grade. When they found out you were still in foster care till you came of age, they… adopted you."

He turned to stare at her, clutching the paper like a lifeline.

"I didn't know until this morning, when their letter came… I… I hope you'll be ok with them not asking you." She looked away, "I thought you should have the official documents, they are yours."

He took a deep breath, "What do you think about this?"

"You're already my brother," she whispered, "Even before they did that."

Shinjiro stared at her, so she had felt the same way. He looked back at the paper, "So, what should I do… for this?" he waved at the paper vaguely.

Suddenly she was hugging him, and he blushed. "H-Hey, get off."

She let go, but was still smiling at him, "Would you come stay at our house? Mom and Dad are working overseas for a while, but me and Kuro are still here. Oh! Are you ok with dogs?"

He blinked, and nodded quickly.

She smiled in relief, "I'm so glad, I don't know what I'd do if you and Kuro didn't get along."

"Kuro?" He asked, mildly amused.

She nodded, "My dad named him. Not the best name, but at least Mom managed to stop him from calling him 'Cat'."

Shinjiro nodded thoughtfully, that probably would have been bad.

She stood suddenly, "Can I help you pack?" "I'm not sure I should…"

He stammered, but she pulled him to his feet. "We're siblings, and I know you're not a bad person, just a feeling, but I haven't been wrong yet. And if Kuro likes you, then there's no doubt."

Then I think that's a yes I'm moving in, Shinjiro mused, thinking about his luck with dogs.

* * *

Within an hour, he had packed up all his stuff and checked out of the cheap motel room. She helped him to carry the boxes of stuff in a wagon she's somehow arrived with after vanishing for a few minutes. They walked for a little while before she stopped in front of a cozy looking house up near the dorms.

"This is it," she said, waving, It's got more rooms in it that it looks like it does, but it's kind of empty with just me and Kuro."

He followed her into the garage and she closed the door behind him.

Stopping before she unlocked the door, she turned to him, "You should probably put your bags town, Kuro will probably charge you as soon as the door's open."

Shinjiro did as she suggested, and she opened the door.

A relatively large black fluff dog skittered out to see her, but she barely managed a greeting and a stroke on his head when the animal noticed Shinjiro and barked happily before bowling him over, tail spinning like a pinwheel. Disentangling himself from the dog, Shinjiro wrestled him to the floor and scratched his ears and belly. Satisfied, Kuro jumped up and ran back to finish greeting his mistress, running back and forth between them both as she helped Shinjiro carry his things into the living room.

As he looked around, he realized the furnishing had the same feel to it as the Dorm had had, but wasn't quite the same. For one thing, there were large windows instead of dorm room doors, and small decorations were perched in friendly places around the room. He was startled to find that it felt like home.

But she was dragging him along by the arm, up a flight of stairs to a room on the left.

"This is one of the guest rooms," she told him, "But the other one also serves as a book room, so you can't really have that one." She smiled, "What do you think?"

He put his duffel bag on the floor, and glanced around the room, it was a little barer than the living room had been, but he would fix that. His eyes went to a plastic dragon sitting on the bureau. He picked it up, "Yours?"

She blushed a little but nodded, "I put them all around the house, since they looked sad in my closet, most of the cats are mine too."

He nodded approvingly and held it out to her, but she shook her head, "You get settled in first, and then we'll decide what to do with what was already in here."

He nodded, and she headed back downstairs to get another box.

Then it hit him; He really had a family now. He was moving in. What had happened to staying away from people to protect them? The last question sent a shiver down his spine. But then Kuro whimpered at him, and he felt the feeling of home again. He couldn't leave his… his sister now. And maybe, just maybe, she needed him to protect her more than she needed to be protected from him.

The soft thud of a box being lowered reminded him he was moving in and should help get his stuff in here.

She smiled as he scrambled to stand up off his bed and help, coming out of his daze.

"Sorry," he murmured, as they went downstairs.

"You worry to much, uh, Aniki."

He blushed and stumbled, but didn't stop her, and that's what she called him from then on, instead of sempai.


	4. Recipes

This is a random idea I had about chemistry that fit Shinjiro well. This would be a bit after the last scene, because he has somehow been convinced to let her drag him to school.

And I know I've been avoiding naming his sister, because, honestly I have no clue what to call her, any suggestions would be appreciated.

* * *

**Recipes**

* * *

He was regretting trying to go back to school now. The gibberish on the page before him hadn't made sense a week ago, and it didn't make any more sense now.

"How am I supposed to know how much of each molecule I need to come up with that?" He demanded angrily of the air.

He heard her shift and realized she'd walked into the room.

He looked up quickly, intending to apologize, and saw her serious face. "But isn't that just a recipe?" She asked.

He blinked at her, then looked back at the page. "You're right," he replied in shock.

Pulling out a clean piece of paper, he began to write furiously and she went back into the kitchen and her own homework.


End file.
